Country Tips on Cilantro/Coriander

I love Cilantro, and to me, Coriander (cilantro seed) is like the essence of the Cilantro. Did I mention I love this stuff?  Well one problem I found in my salsa making days, and in cooking with Cilantro is...it loses all it's flavour.  But on the other hand Coriander seems to maintain it's. So I use it when cooking.  Oh, in case you didn't know, Cilantero, in fresh leaf form mobilizes heavy metals out of your body, in fact it's one of very few substances that do this even across the blood brain barrior.... so for those of you worried about oncoming senility...(generally caused by heavy meatals that accumulate in the brain tissues totally screwing up the whole electrical process there).....eat this stuff.
OK so every year we start with seed we saved from last year. Now here is a little tip, something I figured out that has saved me a lot of grief in the Springtime, when getting out last years seeds only to find that some little critters liked those seeds as much as I like sunflower seeds..... So here's the solution....that good ol food grade diatomeceaus earth. Microscopic skeletons of diatoms that are like razer sharp daggers to small little critters. (works on fleas and all kinds of nasty fur inhabiting creatuers as well)..... and it doesn't bother humans to touch, like chalk.... totally good to eat, doesn't bother pets, but you don't want to breathe a lot in of course, don't want to breath in dirt or old rags either.... but anyway, mix it in with your seed.  So we start out the year with a mess of this seed. Half I save for cooking, and totally broadcast the other in a huge area... I'm not going into the growin process here... gotta be on the Flow or it'll bolt every time.... But here now it's the end of the season.... Here is a huge harvest of coriander.

 

So,now that we have a fresh crop, what to do with all the leftover coriander seed.. ?

 

Well, I put it in a food processor and dusted it up as much as it wanted to go, then sieved it out with a fine screen..... Then put it in a salt shaker to use when cooking....

Yummmm, I love that stuff

This Weeks New Stuff

Well this week it was mostly about earrings...and mostly big wooden ones because that's what folks have been really liking.

 

Here are some cool tribal ones carved in Bi Color Mountain Mahagony.

Here are some Maori Hook style, also in Mountain Mahagony.

 

This one is also Mountain Mahagony, the pic doesn't give the incredible color variation it's due.

These are carved in Myrtlewood and set with Tiger Eye.

 

And here's a couple big wood ones from wood I found at the beach..

 And here is one in Birdseye Maple Burl.

 And here's another in Maple Burl that I carved a little mushroom scene...

Well that's a few of this weeks creations... OFF to Market tomorrow.

Country Tip For Wood Stoves

Now here is a great idea for starting your fires in the morning.   Whenever you eat some Oranges or other Citrus, dry it out on the top of the stove.  These babies have so much explosive oils in them that once dry you can roll em up in your paper and get a really nice hot start.  Or just light em on fire to amuse the kids...  And for those entrepreneur's out there why not invent a wood stove pellet that is 25% dried citrus rind.  Those pellets will burn way way hotter, like a blast furnace...reducing the amount you need to keep the house warm.